Time Of Need
by alex-c101
Summary: Danny is given the weekend off to struggle with his addiction, but finds a teenage boy, much like himself, that needs his help. Rated T for language and semimature content. Enjoy:
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I wish I owned Without A Trace, especially all the men, but I don't.

He pressed the cold glass to his lips, swallowing its contents with a shiver. Danny Taylor slammed the glass down onto the table and leaned back against the couch. The room was spinning and he wanted to vomit, but he loved the feeling of forgetting. With every glass downed he felt a little less pain and a little less guilt from each victim. You can't help them all, Jack's advice echoed over and over in his mind. He closed his eyes and passed out, the image of himself falling into darkness burning inside his head.

Danny awoke to a throbbing inside his head. He silently thanked Jack for giving him the week off to sort out his issues as he sat up and stared wildly around. In front of him lay two empty bottles of vodka and a cracked glass on the floor. He shook his head as his insides burned with guilt. He had given this life up many years ago, ashamed to be at the same level as his father once was.

After forcing down breakfast he changed into the cleanest clothes he could find; grey sweatpants and navy t shirt. Danny opened the door to his apartment and stepped into the hallway. He was barefoot and saw his reflection in the glass of the fire extinguisher box. His hair was tousled and he looked like hell. He tiptoed down the hallway, making sure not to attract any attention, not wanted to be seen in this state. After reaching the stairs he realized the majority of his apartment residents would be at work or school, so he descended down the first flight of stairs in calm and stepped onto the floor beneath his own.

He had never been on any other floor but his, as he usually used the fire escape ladder to enter and exit his home. It was quicker, and that way he could avoid any neighbours on his bad days. He stared for a second before realizing his goal was to reach the mailboxes on the ground floor, retrieve his mail, and get back to his apartment undetected. It would be difficult to explain to anyone why an FBI agent had the week off.

He was slowly walking down the stretch of hallway, feeling the cold cement floor beneath his feet. As he walked by one apartment, he noticed the door was slightly ajar, loud music coming from inside. He stopped dead and cocked his ear to the door as the sounds of someone yelling and smashing something could be heard. Chills ran down his spine as he realized the noise was all too familiar; his childhood, his father's reckless drinking, and abuse.

_'Just get the fuck out of here now! I don't want them fucking people showing up again looking for your worthless ass!'_

Danny detected an accent in the voice, similar to his own. He quickly stepped away from the door wall as he heard footsteps approach.

A boy who looked to be about fifteen opened the door and stepped into the hallway. His hair and eyes were dark brown, and Danny noticed a striking resemblance to his own self around that age. The boy was definitely South American, he guessed from either his native Cuba or Columbia. He wore a navy t shirt and dark jeans, and Danny noticed a pink scar running above his right eyebrow and sporting a fresh black eye.

He stared at Danny with narrowed eyes as he reached behind him and closed the door. His right arm revealed many drug tracts that ran from his wrist down his forearm. The boy noticed Danny staring at his arm and quickly pressed it to his side.

_'Yeah, you look like you're in the condition to judge me.'_

His accent was from Danny's own country. He shook his head and walked past him to the fire escape at the far end of the hallway.

He watched as the boy descended down the fire escape and out of sight. The resemblance to himself as a teen was striking.


	2. Chapter 2

_Danny sat in the middle of the living room carpet, lining up his toy cars. He was mumbling to himself, giving the cars sound effects like any typical six year old. His brother Raphie was lying on the tattered and stained couch, staring at the old television propped up on a box. A loud bang could be heard from the front door and someone roughly yelled Raphie's name. Both boys stared at each other before they dove into their hiding places, Danny behind the television, and Raphie under the couch. Their father stumbled into the living room, drunk and livid. He yelled Raphie's name again and slammed his hand against the wall. Raphie sighed and knew he had to take the punches for Danny, and came out from his hiding place to face their father. He closed his eyes and covered his ears to block out the sounds of his brother's cries._

Danny awoke with a start. He was lying in his bed, the covers strewn onto the ground. He groaned and rubbed his head, feeling another hangover. He had been an alcoholic for ten years of his life, got clean, and promised never to steep to that level again. But here he was, the same routine, the same excuses, the same struggle.

A few hours later Danny was lying on the couch staring at the television. He sat up abruptly when he heard noise outside in the hallway.

'_He's right behind us man, we gotta run!' _Heavy footsteps echoed outside his door. He could hear two boys running the length of the hallway, probably heading towards the fire escape.

'_Fuck it Elian, he's gonna get us anyways.' _Danny opened the door to see the boy from yesterday morning and his friend, heading towards the fire escape. They reached the window and attempted to pry it open.

'_It's locked! Shit what are we gonna do man, what are we supposed to do?' _The boy looked over to Danny, who was standing in the doorway of his apartment. He stood aside and the boy grabbed his friend's arm. They ran into Danny's room and he shut the door behind them.

The boy pressed his ear to Danny's door, listening for sounds in the hallway. His friend stood beside him, breathing heavily and fidgeting. Heavy footsteps could be heard outside for a few moments before the person, frustrated, climbed down the stairs.

The boy breathed a sigh of relief and turned to his friend and smiled.

'_I told you to trust me man, it was a good idea.' _He held out his hand for what Danny thought was a handshake, but his friend reached into the waistband of his pants and pulled out a bag filled with white powder. He placed it into the boy's hand and patted him on the shoulder with his other.

They must've forgotten about Danny for a moment because they both turned and stared wildly at him. They quickly nodded their thanks and left the apartment. Danny stood in shock before closing the door behind them. He knew the effects of that white powder, his brother had been fighting battles with it since he was a teenager. He stepped into the shower and let the cold water wash away the events of the day.

Danny put on a white t shirt and jeans and left his apartment to visit his brother. If anyone knew about addiction, it was his older brother Raphie.

_Raphie's apartment_

Danny sat at the kitchen table, staring at the mug of coffee set out before him. His brother was leaning against the kitchen counter, observing him closely.

'_You look like hell, man.' _Raphie rolled up his mechanic's work shirt to reveal forearms branded with tattoos and scars from drug use.

'_I'm sorry, I know you're supposed to work tonight.'_ Danny took a sip of coffee and tried to control his urge to vomit.

'_And you're supposed to be the good son. What's going on?'_

Danny shook his head and finally made contact with his brother. _'I don't know man, I keep having dreams about Papi and how…' _His voice trailed away and Raphie pulled up a chair beside him.

'_Listen to me Danny, Papi's not worth your job, your health, or your life. I spent years between you and him so that you would go on to accomplish something. You have so much going for you, don't fuck it up.'_

Danny nodded and his brother clasped his hand hard on his shoulder. He stood up and grabbed his car keys.

'_My shift starts now, but I'll be done around midnight if you need anything at all, okay?'_

Danny nodded again and stood up with him.


	3. Chapter 3

Danny stood in the shower, letting the cold water cascade against his face and down his chest. He had spent the better part of an hour vomiting into the sink, not sure if it could be blamed on his continuous hangover. At least I'm clean, he joked to himself, as this was his second shower in less than 24 hours. He realized the sadness of his joke and closed his eyes, concentrating on the icy water that he hoped possessed the power to wash away his pain.

"_Come on, don't be such a bitch Alvarez."_

"_Yeah, if you pussy out I won't let you hear the end of it."_

_Two boys wearing jeans, white t shirts, and black Chuck Taylor hi-tops stood in the alleyway, playfully shoving a third boy against a back door._

"_A bitch? Hah that's funny because I remember you, Robbie, crying your eyes out when you got your first slice." The third boy lifted up his white t-shirt to reveal a pink scar that ran across the bottom of his ribs. The other shook his head, let out a small gasp, and took a long drag on his cigarette._

"_Alright, alright. You in, man?" Robbie lightly punched the boy and took a puff of his friend's cigarette before flicking it to the ground. All three boys walked out of the alleyway and stood in front of the liquor store, while a few drunks loitered out front, trying to beg change for a bottle of whiskey. The problem was that in this neighbourhood, no one had change to spare. Sirens could be heard in the distance while the three boys ran into the store and headed for the nearest bottle of booze._

"_Grab it! Quick Danny!"_

_Danny swiped a bottle of Jack Daniels, dropped it under his t-shirt and turned to run. He felt a blow to the back of his head and two hands grasping his shoulders._

_He turned and saw the store owner, a sneer on his face as he stared down at him, and his two friends running the hell down an alleyway and out of sight._

"_Another kid from the slums. I'll be damned if you punks steal anything from me."_

_Danny watched as a police cruiser pulled into the parking lot, its siren reflected in his own fearful eyes._

Danny stepped out of the shower and dried the tears from his face. He didn't weep from his own troubled past, but the current troubles of the boy, Elian, in his building. He wanted to help so badly, but he remembered being a teenager, hating the world for what it had done to him. He became angry at himself for showing so much emotion, his anger moved to his own father, and then to the father or whoever was fucking Elian up.

He dressed into the same clothes as the day before and walked to the stairs to get his mail. He was sure there would only be bills to pay, but there was still a possibility that he would run into Elian.

So what if you do run into him? What the hell are you going to do, Danny. You can't save the entire fucking world, you know. That's not your job. The voice inside his head debated with him as he slowly descended the stairs, one step at a time.

He stood at the end of the hallway, as if hoping Elian would miraculously appear from his apartment. After standing there for a few minutes, he sighed and went to get his mail. When he reached the basement, he peered around the corner of the mail room to see if anyone was there. The room was abandoned, and he breathed a sigh of relief. He pulled out his mailbox key and found only bills, a Chinese take-out menu, and some bullshit coupon for Macy's. He began to exit the room and kept his eyes on the mail when someone startled him.

"_Don't you ever go to work?"_

Danny turned around, surprised, and found a boy in the corner of the room, sitting at an old wooden table that was missing a leg.

He smiled, _"I have the week off, what's your excuse?"_

Elian gave a slight smirk back, _"Don't need school man. I got all I need right here." _He motioned to the mailroom, and Danny wasn't sure what the joke was.

He walked to the table and threw down his mail. _"Have a seat sir, what can I help you with today?" _Elian put his hands on his head and leaned back in his chair, and he recognized the same chip on his shoulder that Danny had carried throughout his teen years.

Danny sat down on one of the cracked chairs and surveyed this kid in front of him. His bare right arm revealed deep tracts that covered his wrist, and he could see the bottom of a black and red tattoo that was displayed on his left bicep.

"_No thanks. What the hell are you doing with that shit anyways? How old are you?"_

"_Old enough to know this is more money than I would get going to school. Especially the dump I dropped out of."_

Danny almost laughed, _"You think this is a dump? You have no idea, brother. You couldn't even walk to the corner store to buy your mother some milk without getting sliced, even during the day. That's the kind of dump I come from."_

Elian leaned forward in his chair and placed his hands on the table. His eyes were red but determinedly made contact with Danny's.

"_No way. My old man's worse than any knife you can imagine." _He lifted the sleeve of his torn navy t-shirt and revealed a fist-shaped bruise that ran along his bicep and onto his shoulder, what Danny had thought was a tattoo.

He nodded and lifted up his shirt momentarily, showing Elian the deep scar, now turned white that ran along his ribs. At that moment they reached an understanding, Danny thought, of two people born into two equally shitty lives.

"_I meant to thank-you, for helping us out yesterday." _He extended his hand and briefly shook Danny's.

Danny nodded, _"So who's was it, anyways? The guy didn't seem to happy."_

Elian had a brief smile on his face, _"Me and my buddy, we stole from the back of a John's car. We knew this guy was always good for some shit before we started dealing ourselves, and decided to get a little payment. The thing is, the guy comes back and sees me and Rammy running into the apartment, and fucking chases us around the whole god damned place."_

Danny smiled, _"Why'd you pick this guy, the Olympic runner, to punk?"_

_"He's always been a dirty John, loves the younger ones. You know what I mean?"_

Danny nodded again, and felt a despair rising deep inside. The kid had a drug problem and in way over his head.

_ "He's not doing anything, even if he does find me. My dad will kick the shit out of him, too. Busted my ass the other day because some junkie comes to the apartment looking for a fix. Word on the street travels fast, I guess."_

He stood up and extended his hand, _"I have to meet up with my buddy. I'm Elian, by the way."_

_"Danny, Danny Taylor. Son usted de Cuba?"_

Elian nodded, "mañana hablaremos otra vez?"

_"Yeah, definitely." _Danny watched as Elian picked up his black back-pack, slung it onto his back and slowly walked out of the room. He stood there as Elian disappeared around the corner, his footsteps lost in the echo of the basement. There was a dying hope in his chest that this kid would be okay.


	4. Chapter 4

Danny was struggling to stay above the water, but something had his leg and yanked him down. Water filled his mouth and into his lungs, choking him. Suddenly he heard something calling him from outside his dream. His eyes snapped open and he lay in a daze, trying sleepily to understand where the banging was coming from. Completely alert now, he swung his legs off the side of the bed and stood up. There was someone banging at the door.

He slowly crept to the door and unlocked it, only opening it slightly.

Elian was standing outside, shirtless and wearing jeans. He was breathing heavily, one eye was swollen and blue, the other bleeding from a cut above his eye. His lip was bleeding and there was blood from a cut on his arm bleeding onto the carpet. His chest was smeared with bloody fist marks. He stared at Danny, his eyes pleading, and said nothing, before giving into darkness.

_1 p.m._

When Elian awoke he saw that sunlight was pouring through the window. His head throbbed and his eyesight blurry. He tried to sit up but instead turned over and vomited onto the ground.

"_Someone's feeling better_." A voice slowly filtered into Elian's head and he recognized it as Danny's. He blinked several times and shapes slowly formed clearly.

"_You got your ass kicked brother_." He felt Danny sit at his feet and he placed his hand on his leg.

Elian tried to respond, but his voice was hoarse and he tasted blood. He struggled to stay awake but then gave in and slipped into darkness again.

_8 p.m._

Elian awoke again, this time successfully sitting up. He glanced around and realized his eyesight was fine, although he could barely see out of his left eye. He realized he was on the couch of a living room and covered with a thin blue sheet. He swung his legs over the couch and stood up, holding onto the back of the couch as the room spun. He fought the urge to vomit again and slowly walked to the bathroom that he could see at the end of the hallway. He winced with each step and made it to the bathroom, supporting himself against the sink. He splashed water onto his face and wanted to scream in pain. He was still wearing his tattered jeans and had lost his shirt in the fight. Elian looked up into the mirror and almost laughed. His face looked like he had placed it in front of a train. His left eye was swollen and purple, and he was sporting a deep gash above his right. His knuckles and arms were bruised and dry blood coated them, his ribs revealed deep blue bruises and he had a few fist marks on his chest. He reached over and grabbed a white towel that sat on a shelf, wet it and began to gently wash the blood off his arms, chest, and face. He turned the towel red, dropped it into the sink and tried to make it back to the couch, holding onto the walls for support.

_"You're up. How you doing?" _Danny was leaning against the wall at the end of the hallway, his arms crossed.

"_Never better,"_ Elian joked and he got out a small smile and walked past Danny slowly, trying to reach his refuge on the couch. He tried to hide his small gasps of pain as he saw Danny's look of concern.

_"I gotta take you to the hospital Elian" _Danny watched as Elian grimaced and winced when he sat down on the couch.

_"No man, I'm fine. They'll call the cops and get social involved."_

_"You might have internal bleeding. You want that? And you're not fine, who fucked you up?"_

Elian looked over at Danny and rubbed the back of his bruised head. Danny walked over and sat down beside him. He could see the brokenness in his eyes, the hatred and abandonment that Danny had carried from his childhood to the present. He was almost certain it was Elian's father who had given him the beating, and he was all too familiar with it.

Not sure how to start, Danny poured his soul. _"My Dad was a mean person. Drunk or sober, he knew how to cut to the bone. I learned to crawl and then to run from my Dad, my Mom worked during the day and most of the night to feed us while he went to the bars. My older brother was always there for me though, putting himself in front of me."_

Flashback to Danny's childhood

_Four year old Danny sat at the kitchen table, eating a bowl of cereal, his eyes glued to the battered television set that sat on the counter. The screen was fuzzy and blared early morning cartoons. Raphi sat beside him, reading the newspaper and sipping a glass of milk. They were supposed to be getting ready for school, their uniforms cleaned and ironed, their mother waiting at the door with their lunches like normal kids. There was a loud bang and the door swung open, making another bang as it hit the wall. There were two soft thumps and a yell, and Danny looked at his brother in fear. Before they could even slide their chairs back and run out the back door, their father appeared, drunk, his shirt ripped, wild-eyed, and pissed. Raphi clenched his fists, attempting to do all a 10 year old could. His father looked past Raphi and at Danny before smashing the empty beer bottle against the counter, shattering the top off. Armed with the broken beer bottle, his father chased after Danny who instinctively had tried to run out of the kitchen. He caught up with the four year old, slapped his head and threw him against the wall. Danny's screams rang throughout the house before his father slapped him again and sliced his wrist with the beer bottle. Raphi came between them and took Danny's third slap, yelling at him to run. Danny ran outside and hid under the kitchen window, covering his eyes and holding onto his bleeding arm. He could hear more slaps, Raphi's muffled cries, a loud bang, and then silence. His father grabbed a pair of keys and his footsteps disappeared out the front door._

End of Flashback

Danny sat beside Elian, sensing his pain and anger, the same emotions he lived with throughout his entire life.

Finally, after Danny had finished speaking and a long silence had ensued, Elian spoke.

_"Thanks for helping me out." _He turned his head towards him, attempting a weak smile. Danny patted his shoulder and grabbed his wrist, turning it to face him so that he could see the deep drug tracts that ran up along his arm.

_"Let me take you to the hospital." _Elian's eyes pleaded with him as he pulled his wrist from Danny's grasp.

_"Can I call the cops? You can't let your Dad fuck you around like this." _Elian looked surprised as Danny had correctly guessed who had hurt him. Danny stared at him, trying to show he wanted to save him. Elian shook his head, and immediately someone came into Danny's mind that could help. He picked up his cell and dialled a familiar number.

Two hours later Jack Malone knocked on Danny's apartment door.


End file.
